The Beginning in the End
by TRUSSELL33
Summary: My take on how things should have worked out post 100th episode.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys, I apologize for the erratic updates on EM lately. I got kind of involved in what started out as a one shot for a friends birthday but you guys should know by now that I find it virtually impossible to write a short story. Anyway, this is what it turned into. Here's the first chapter. I hope you enjoy but please let me know either way. Thanks, T.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Angela Montenegro and Dr. Jack Hodgins glanced up as Dr. Temperence Brennan slammed through the doors of the Medico-Legal lab of the Jeffersonian (well, as close to slammed as you could get considering they slid open when you approached) and stalked toward her office, fists clenched at her sides and muttering under her breath, fury in every line of her body. Giving each other a wide eyed, questioning glance, they suddenly understood as the doors once again slid open and a furious Seeley Booth burst through them.

"I'm not finished, Bones," Booth yelled at her. Angela's eyes widened as she saw her best friend actually quiver in rage but her step didn't pause, nor did she deign to answer the furious man hot on her heels. She simply slammed her office door in his face. Booth didn't even pause, his hand shooting out and shoving the door open to follow her inside.

"Whoa," whispered Hodgins, his wide eyes meeting Angela's.

"Yeah," she returned, standing on tiptoe to get a better look at what was going on in that office. No matter how she craned her head, she couldn't see so she started off the platform as if in a trance, excitement building as she realized this could be the moment she had been waiting on for years.

"Where are you going?" Hodgins demanded, grabbing her arm. She didn't even glance his way, her eyes and ears straining to catch anything coming from that office. She tried to shake his hand off her arm but his grip was surprisingly firm. Tearing her attention away from Brennan's office with extreme difficulty, she turned to Hodgins and patted his hand affectionately.

"It's all right, Hodgie, I won't get caught," she assured him with a wicked grin that he couldn't help but return. That hadn't really been his concern but he could see where that could be bad. He sure as hell wouldn't want to get caught spying on the two furious people in that office, especially since they had both been losing it with the least provocation for a couple of weeks now.

He had no idea what had happened between them but he could pinpoint the when down to the day or rather, the night. They had left the lab one evening to go see Sweets and they had been fine but the next time he had seen them together, they had been all weird and fidgety around each other. Oh, they had tried to pretend that everything was fine but had been walking on eggshells around each other for weeks now, making everyone in the lab fidgety and nervous from the tension and just knowing that something wasn't right between the partners.

"Ange, have you ever seen either one of them that upset?" He didn't even wait for her to finish shaking her head before he continued. "We should just leave them alone and let them fight it out," he urged. Although his own curiosity was demanding appeasement, more than anything he wanted them to just get whatever the hell it was out into the open it and work it out already.

"Oh, come on, Hodgie, you know you want to know what's going on in there just as much as I do," she teased and he couldn't deny it. "Come on, Jack. This could be it and you know you want to see that," she cajoled, referring to her theory that Sweets had prodded them into verbalizing their feelings for each other and something had gone wrong. She had questioned Sweets extensively and made her displeasure at his interference clear, but had gotten zip out of the tight lipped psychologist so she had simply watched and waited, knowing it couldn't be long. And now that the time was here, Hodgins expected her to just let the opportunity to watch from a ringside seat pass her by? _Yeah, like that was gonna happen_, she snorted internally. Determinedly, she gently removed Hodgins' hand from her arm and linked their fingers, turning toward Brennan's office.

"Ange, this is a bad idea," he warned even as he allowed her to pull him off the platform and toward Brennan's office, trying to be as stealthy as possible and only being very, very obvious that they were trying to be sneaky.

"Relax, Hodgie, they're too busy yelling at each other to notice us," Angela assured him, pulling him into a corner and parting the leaves of the plant they were behind to give them a bird's eye view of Brennan's office. Giving in to the inevitable, Hodgins leaned forward to get a better look.

Brennan stiffened at the sound of her office door lock being engaged, unable to believe that Special Agent Seeley Booth would actually have the gall to follow her into her office when she had made it clear that she was finished with their conversation. Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned to pin him with an icy blue gaze filled with displeasure, tamping down the pain and the absolute fury that she had been carrying around for the last two weeks. Or trying to, at least, but it was difficult considering she wanted to fly across the room and physically attack him, the very source of all that rage.

Booth met the icy gaze but he didn't flinch, he was just too damned mad to let her closed, angry stance keep him from venting his own rage. Stalking toward her, he didn't stop until they were toe to toe. Opening his mouth to calmly express his own irritation, he was just as surprised as she was by what actually came out. "What the hell were you thinking?" he bellowed into her face.

Brennan blinked and instinctively recoiled from the rage in his face and eyes. Then her own anger kicked in, her eyes flamed and she stepped even closer to him. "I was thinking that you're my partner and that you needed my help," she yelled right back, poking him in the chest for good measure, refusing to give him the satisfaction of admitting that she had messed up and absolutely refusing to quail before him.

Booth's hands clenched into fists at his sides to keep himself from grabbing the infuriating woman and shaking some sense into her, his stomach in knots as the earlier scene in the alley played through his mind over and over. "I needed you to let me do my job and not try to do it for me. You had no business jumping in and frisking the suspect, Bones," he hissed through gritted teeth, knowing that incident wasn't completely responsible for his anger but it was a damned good excuse to express some of it and he wasn't about to pass it up.

"I am perfectly capable of adequately performing such a simple task," she snapped before she could stop herself, furious at him for yelling at her in front of everyone in that alley, furious at herself for messing up, furious at the suspect for his very existence. She knew it wasn't logical or reasonable but, hell, lately the fact that the sun was yellow and grass was green angered her, one of the interns breathing in her general vicinity sent her into a rage and just looking at the man standing before her made her hurt in ways she hadn't known existed until two weeks ago. Desperate to keep her mind from going there, she planted her hands of her hips and lifted her chin pugnaciously, if Booth wanted a fight, she would give him one he would never forget.

"Obviously, you're not," he snapped right back, running a hand across his face in agitation, wanting to grab her and show her what she was throwing away, to physically tie her to him, to make her understand that it was killing him inch by excruciating inch to be this close to her every day when she didn't love him like he loved her. But his own stupidity had made releasing some of his rioting emotions that way impossible and the rage generated by his failure to protect her, almost allowing her to get hurt back there in that alley piling up on top of his already brimming anger left him floundering. Knowing that if he didn't release some of that anger soon he was simply going to explode, he cautioned himself not to lose his temper when he explained to Brennan that she couldn't just jump in and do whatever she wanted. He had to make her understand the danger she had put herself in with her impulsive actions and that impulsive actions in the field were completely unacceptable.

"I can do anything you can do, Booth," she snapped snidely, her tone implying she could probably even do it better and Booth's eyes snapped to her face, taking in the stubborn tilt of her chin, the blue eyes that were sparking with temper, the smirk curling her lips and Booth's temper ignited so quickly that he didn't have a hope in hell of controlling it.

"Fine," he growled, "if you want to do my job, you're going to learn to do it right." Ignoring the warning voice in his head telling him it was a very, very bad idea for him to put his hands on her at any time but most especially in his current state, he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the back wall in her office. Startled, she didn't try to pull away until he swung her around to face the wall, his chest pressed against her back and took both of her hands in his, raising them and planting them against the wall, his big hands covering hers and holding them firmly in place. "Spread your legs," he said huskily into her ear, fighting the urge to put his open mouth on every inch of her that he could reach, hating that he didn't have the right to do that, that she would push him away if he did that. Besides, this was about teaching her a lesson, not satisfying the constant desire he felt for her.

"What?" she gasped, turning her head to meet blazing brown eyes and the lust, the utter need she saw in those depths was almost her undoing. Her belly tightened and she fought to hold on to her own anger and ignore the lust flooding her system at having him this close. _God, why did this have to be so hard?_ _Did she really deserve the punishment of being taunted with what she wanted most in the world for trying to protect the man she loved? _"What are you doing?" she gulped breathlessly.

"I'm teaching you the proper way to frisk a suspect, Bones," Booth replied smoothly, resting his chin on her shoulder and shooting her his own little version of a smirk. "Don't make me handcuff you first," he threatened when she halfheartedly tried to pull her hands from beneath his, delighted with the flush spreading across her cheeks. _She was pissed? Seriously? Well, she might as well suck it up and get over it because he hadn't even gotten started yet._

"I'd like to see you try," she snapped, doing her best to feign outrage when her knees were threatening to buckle from the feel of his body pressed so tightly against hers and his breath washing over the sensitive skin of her ear and neck sent a shiver down her spine.

Booth fought back a shudder, his eyes closed and his hands tightened on hers as a multitude of scenarios with him doing more than trying to handcuff her flashed through his mind. In every single one of them, she was wiggling and squirming against him and it somehow became necessary to discard clothing, his and hers, to accomplish his task. _God, he had to stop thinking like that and he had to stop this before he got himself in real trouble, before he messed things between them up even more and she ran away. _

Knowing that he would never forgive himself in that happened,he had every intention of taking his hands off of her and leaving until they both cooled down until he opened his eyes and met taunting cerulean eyes daring him to do his worst. And just like that, his primal, aggressive instincts were aroused and he simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to put his hands on her, for what might be the last time ever because God knew, he couldn't take this aching want that knotted his guts and squeezed his heart every time he looked at her since she had made it clear she didn't love him.

"Maybe later," he murmured under his breath, knowing he was going to be paying penance for the fantasy that remark generated come Sunday but not really caring. Reminding himself that if he wasn't going to have any control whatsoever over his partner when they were out in the field, he needed to make sure she knew what she was doing and nothing like today ever happened again, he told himself he could keep this professional, despite the way his whole body hummed and his hands literally itched with anticipation. Okay, fine, so maybe he was going to enjoy it a little bit but that really couldn't be helped, he was doing this for her own good. "Okay, Bones, I'm going to show you how to frisk someone." His voice wasn't entirely professional but he wasn't drooling in anticipation so he was happy with that.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Booth," Brennan protested wide eyed, starting to squirm against him and definitely trying to pull her hands out from under his. In fact, she _knew _this was a very, very bad idea. She had been furious with herself and him when she had walked into her office. Truth be told, she had been furious with everyone for weeks but now, having him this up close and personal, she wasn't sure what she would do if he put his hands on her, even innocently. She had struggled with her developing love and, to be honest, lust for him for years but it had never been as hard or as painful as it had been for the last two weeks, since he had offered her everything she had come to crave with every fiber of her being and she had refused because to accept would mean the certain loss of what she loved the most in the entire world. Him.

"Afraid, Bones?" he taunted, a little surprised at the fierceness of the roar of outrage over being deprived of this opportunity ringing in his head. _Oh, hell no, he deserved this, he needed this and he wasn't just giving it up without a fight. He had done entirely too much of that recently and look where that had gotten him._

Stiffening, Brennan's eyes narrowed and she ordered herself to not take the bait, to ignore the mocking challenge in his voice and eyes but, God, her body was aching to feel his hands running over it. _Would it really be so wrong to enjoy, under the pretext of learning, something she so desperately wanted?_ "Of course not, Booth," she scoffed. "I can take anything you can throw at me," she challenged, trying to keep the desperate need she was feeling from her voice.

"All right then. Let's get this show on the road," Booth smiled so innocently that Brennan felt a quiver of apprehension run over her but her pride wouldn't let her back down.

Within seconds, she knew she had made a very big mistake and it was going to cost her dearly. Booth's foot slid between hers and nudged hers further apart, widening her stance. His hands pressed hers to the wall in a stay there motion then slowly slid away, gliding lingeringly, caressingly up her arms. One came to rest on her shoulder and the other moved to grip her hip. Biting her lower lip to hold back a whimper, Brennan closed her eyes and just lost herself in the tortuous pleasure of his hands stroking her body.

"To start with, you have to get them off balance. Make them feel defenseless and make it more difficult for them to attack you," he whispered in her ear, pushing lightly on her shoulder until her torso angled forward slightly. The hand on her shoulder slid down to rest on her other hip and he applied pressure to pull her hips backward. He had only meant to get her in the correct position, he hadn't meant it to be a sexual act but that was exactly what it became the instant his thigh slid between hers and her bottom nestled against his growing erection. _And, God, the things he wanted to do to her, the images that were flashing through his mind really weren't helping to keep things professional._

They both froze and Booth's hands tightened on her hips, every ounce of the pain and anger, the grief and loss he had felt since she had denied him instantly turning to lust and need. Regardless of knowing where he stood with her, knowing what he was doing was wrong on both the personal and professional levels, knowing that it was stupid to torture himself with something that could never be his, he couldn't make himself step away. If he moved at all, he would have her turned around and pressed between his body and the wall and he knew his hands and mouth would be all over her, showing her what she was giving up, begging her to give them a chance. Holding perfectly still was the only way to stop himself from acting on his impulses and he could only hope that she didn't notice what being this close to her was doing to him.

There was no way she couldn't notice the hardness growing against her bottom but she forced herself to hold still instead of grinding against him and groaning like she wanted to. Gritting her teeth, she fought the urge to turn and throw herself against, begging him to forgive her for hurting him and just love her. God, she had wanted him like this since day one and for the first couple of years of their partnership, she wouldn't have hesitated to take advantage of it, to have a sexual relationship with him, and during that time, she could have compartmentalized and handled it. But not now, not after Booth had taught her what love was all about, not when she had seen how vulnerable he had been after the surgery, not since she had realized how much she wanted to be with him, and most especially not after he had asked her to give them a try and she had seen how badly she had hurt him. She never, ever wanted to cause him a moment's pain and if she was in his life as a romantic partner, she had no doubt that she would do exactly that on a regular enough basis to finally drive him away forever and she simply couldn't exist in a world that he wasn't part of.

Feeling his hips rock forward and his erection press firmly into her left hip, she couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her spine but she bit her lower lip almost hard enough to draw blood to contain a moan. She'd had a multitude of fantasies about something like this happening between them for years and had thought she knew what it would feel like but she had been wrong. What she was feeling was so strong that it was almost frightening. Her breasts tightened and tingled, her nipples hardening, her belly tightened and she fought the overwhelming urge to turn around and crawl all over him. Not sure how long she could control her baser urges, she made a move of pure self reservation. "What's wrong, Booth? Forget what you were doing?" she asked over her shoulder in her snarkiest voice and it did the trick. He stiffened and moved away slightly but his eyes promising retribution kept her from relaxing too much.

"Not at all, Bones," he purred against her ear. "I just wanted to make sure you got the stance down pat," he bluffed, "but if you're ready, we can move on." The sheer anticipation in his voice made her quiver all over.

"Booth, maybe I should get someone else to show me," she said a little desperately as he dropped to his haunches behind her, both hands grasping her right ankle.

"Don't you trust me, Bones?" he asked quietly, knowing that there was no way he was going to give up the opportunity to touch her, even if it wasn't entirely the way he had fantasized about for so long. He tried to make his touch brisk and impersonal as his hands smoothed up her slender leg but he could feel the heat of her thigh through the thin yoga pants she had just changed into when he had picked her up and he could imagine that his hands were running over hot, naked flesh. He could smell her skin and he desperately wanted to lean forward and taste the strip of skin revealed where her shirt rode up in the back. _No freaking way was this impersonal_. With him and her, it was as personal as it got.

Brennan's breath caught in her throat and she forgot his question as his fingers overlapped around her leg, moving caressingly up her calf and onto her thigh, stroking higher and higher. She could feel his hot breath puffing against the bare skin of her lower back and bit back a moan, her logical brain screaming at her to stop this now. But her heart and body weren't quite ready to give up his touch, even though she was so turned on she could barely stand still and how pathetic was that? That the most arousing sexual encounter that she'd had in years was from her partner frisking her? No, not just her partner, the man who already was who everything but she was too damned scared to take the last step and make him her lover, her lifetime partner in everything. That was what was really pathetic about this situation.

Booth forced his hands to move from Brennan's right leg to her left and trace his previous path in reverse, his eyes never leaving her curvy bottom cupped and outlined so lovingly in tight cotton pants. Pants that were so thin, he could see the outline of her bikini panties and the way her buttocks clenched every time he hit a sensitive spot on the inside of her thigh. Even though she was holding her body under rigid control, those movements were a dead giveaway and Booth couldn't resist tracing those spots repeatedly. But all too soon to suit him, he knew it was time to move on. He just wasn't entirely sure how to do that. Just touching her so innocently, okay, not so innocently, had him so revved up that he knew better than to reach out and put his hands on her bottom while he was looking at it. No way could he handle that.

Pushing to his feet, he slowly dragged his hands up the backs of her calves and thighs, intending to simply skim or bypass her bottom entirely but his hands refused to listen. They touched the firm mounds and lingered, despite his mind's frantic orders to move on. Brennan gave a strangled gasp and jerked backward against him, trapping his hands between them, fingers spread out and gripping her butt. Booth's entire body clenched with desire, waves of lust washing over him with such force that his knees threatened to buckle, unable to completely smother the low growl rippling deep in his chest. He knew he needed to take his hands off of her and get the hell out of here before she turned around and kicked his ass or he managed to step even further across the line and ruin their partnership for good. He was practically molesting her under the guise of teaching her FBI procedure and God help him, he couldn't make himself stop.

"You have to be very, very thorough," he assured her huskily, his hands thoroughly smoothing over her buttocks.

Brennan took a deep, shuddering breath and rested her head against her left arm. No matter what he said, she was certain that the way Booth was touching her was not the proper procedure taught by the FBI. If it had been, the female crime rate in the Metropolitan DC area would increase by 1000% and the women would be lining up in front of the Hoover building to turn themselves in. She knew she should demand that Booth take his hands off of her immediately and severely chastise him for the inappropriate touching. _And she would do exactly that_, she assured herself, _just as soon as she stopped enjoying it so damned much and managed to catch her breath_. _Oh, who the hell was she kidding? _She had no intention of stopping him, she too badly wanted to go where this was leading.

"Do you have anything dangerous in your pockets?" Booth breathed directly into her ear as his hands moved around to smooth over her front pockets, his big body unconsciously moving closer.

"Keys. Right pocket," she managed in a strangled voice, shudderingas he bent over her until his chest molded to her back and she could feel how very much he was enjoying this against her bottom.

Booth felt the shudder and it partially brought him to his senses just as he was about to slip his hands into her pocket, which would be totally inexcusable. _What the hell was he doing? _ His eyes opened wide, shocked at himself and the liberties he had just taken with his partner's delectable body. No matter how much he was enjoying this and wanted it to continue to its inevitable conclusion, this was completely unacceptable, both his behavior and where it was taking place. The sad thing was that even know how out of line he was, how very wrong his behavior was, he just didn't want to stop. His hands ached to trail up her sidesand cup her lush breasts. His aching body urged him to drag her over to the sofa, strip her down and make love to her on the spot and his entire body clenched at the images floating through his mind. And it sure as hell didn't help that he could hear her soft, gasping pants to catch her breath or feel the subtle grinding of her bottom against him, an action he didn't even think she was aware of but was driving him out of his mind. _God, he had to get out of here. NOW. _

He knew he owed her a sincere, heartfelt apology but he just couldn't find the words to explain something he didn't really understand himself. _That wasn't true,_ he admitted to himself, _he knew exactly what was happening_. He was so in love with his exasperating, irritating partner that he could barely see straight and he had carried around an aching desire for her since the moment they had met. That desire had only gotten stronger as his love for her had grown and he had stupidly blurted it out in a way almost guaranteed to freak her out, to get a negative response. So he had silently been nursing a broken, angry heart for the last two weeks and seeing her in that alley with some scumbag holding a knife to her throat had simply pushed him over the edge of control. But he couldn't tell her that. She wouldn't want to hear it and it wasn't really an acceptable excuse for his completely unacceptable behavior.

Closing his eyes, he forced his reluctant hands away from her body, praying that she would just let him walk away until he could pull himself together. He had just learned two very important things and he had some serious thinking to do before they discussed this and they would discuss it even if it resulted in her kicking his ass or demanding a new partner. "I'm sorry, Bones," he whispered into her ear, apologizing for the entire last two weeks, before turning and walking out of her office.

Brennan sagged against the wall, her shaking legs barely supporting her weight. _What the hell had just happened?_ Okay, stupid question, but then again, maybe not, because she was seriously confused. Admittedly, it was difficult to focus her thoughts when her entire body was shaking with the need to chase her partner down and drag him down to the Egyptian Room but she should be able to process better than this. Forcing herself to push away from the wall, she shakily walked to her desk and sank down into her chair, dropping her face into her cupped hands, trying to calm her breathing and focus her finely honed analytical skills on the problem at hand.

Okay, she understood that the debacle in the alley had made them both angry and put them on edge. They had chased two suspects in an investigation into an alley and while Booth had covered her, she had disarmed the smaller man of a gun. High on adrenalin, she had pushed the man up against the wall and frisked him, declaring that he was clean and Booth had trusted her assessment. While Booth had been handcuffing the larger, more dangerous looking man, Brennan's attention had wandered and the smaller man had pushed away from the wall, pulling a knife that she had missed during the search and held it against her neck, demanding that Booth let him go. Booth had refused and Brennan had easily taken the guy down while his attention was focused on her partner but Booth had been seriously pissed that she had overstepped and frisked the guy in the first place. He had actually yelled at her in front of the perps and the policemen that were on site by then. Even though she had known she was in the wrong, she had been hurt and embarrassed by Booth's reaction and she had instinctively taken refuge in anger, yelling right back. Booth had dragged her to the SUV and they had returned to the Jeffersonian in stony silence with her stiffly informing him she didn't want to talk about it before sliding out of the SUV and stalking into the lab.

Yes, she understood that they had both been pissed and the release of adrenalin could sometimes alter your perception of a situation but, she also knew that this was about so much more than what had happened in that alley. Booth's anger might have pushed him into touching her in the first place but she would have to be ten kinds of stupid not to have felt the tenderness in his touch, the way his whole body drew hard and tight from having his hands all over her and no one had ever accused her of being stupid. Her belly tightened at the memory of his hands gliding over her legs and buttocks and the way they had clenched on her hips when it had been obvious that Booth was fighting for the control to pull away from her had her breath hitching in her throat. She wished with all her heart that he hadn't been able to amass that control.

For the first time in her adult life, she wanted someone to take a choice out of her hands and make it for her, to push her into what she really wanted and not what she knew was for the best. She wanted Booth to show her that she was worth fighting for, to ease the sting of his saying he had to move on so quickly when she had made her knee jerk denial to his proposition. She needed him to say that he loved her so she would know with absolute certainty and not just see what she wanted to see or hear. Fair or not, she was absolutely furious with him for forcing her to acknowledge, even to herself, how she felt, what she actually wanted.

Oh, she had known for years that she loved him, she had fantasized about him, dreamed about him and couldn't even bring herself to take someone else to her bed to satisfy her biological urges for the last two years. But he had always been so careful to keep the boundaries clear on them having a romantic relationship that she had resigned herself to him being her best friend and partner, idealized the relationship in her mind. She had convinced herself it was better this way, to not have to maneuver the pitfalls of a romantic relationship with someone who was so very important to her, knowing there was less likelihood of losing him from her life this way. But that was exactly what was happening. She was losing him and had been ever since that night two weeks ago and she could almost hate Sweets for being responsible for that. So, it had come down to this, to her having to make a choice, the most important choice of her life and just the thought terrified her.

In her opinion, she had two options. She had thought she could ignore what had happened and they could continue to simply be best friends and partners. And pretending that nothing had changed was exactly what she had been trying to do for the last two weeks since she knew she didn't want to lose him from her life and she knew that she was very, very bad at relationships, that she would hurt him time after time until she lost him for good. But the earlier scene had pointed out, even to her, that pretending was no longer possible and trying to do so was only going to drive them further apart, hurting them both in the process, exactly what she was trying to avoid.

Her second option was to stop being a coward. There she had finally admitted it to herself. She was a coward where Booth was concerned. She loved him and she was terrified of telling him that, of taking a chance on them, even though she thought the things he had said to her that night were beautiful and she knew, in her heart, that he loved her, even without the actual words. He showed her that every single day in the way he protected her, the way he fed her, the way he showed up at her apartment at night just to say goodnight. Even though she had denied it, she had seen the way he looked at her and knowing that he desired her made it even more difficult to walk away from him every night. Because of her fear of messing things up between them, of driving him completely out of her life, she had forced herself to ignore all of that but now she was at a crossroads. She had been telling the truth about needing to protect him from her but she had hurt him two weeks ago and every day since all in the name of protecting him. Where was the logic in that? Sadly, there was none and Brennan found the fact that none of her feelings were logical or rational terrifying but she suddenly knew what she had to do. She either had to find the courage to tell Booth how she felt or to let him go completely. Anything else simply wasn't fair to either of them and she was so very tired of letting the fears of a young girl rule her life.

Did she have that kind of courage? She honestly didn't know but if there had ever been anything in her life worth taking a risk on, it was Seeley Booth. Her stomach cramped into knots at just the thought of him not being in her life and she knew she couldn't deal with that. Had she already lost her chance? Had her turning him down that night hurt him so badly that he wouldn't even consider it if she told him how she felt? Terrified that that was the case, her mind wandered back to his hands roaming her body and how his body had reacted, her tummy fluttering with pure lust at the thought. It wasn't a guarantee that he would be amenable to her proposition but it at least gave her something to work with.

And she could most definitely work with that, she decided, raising her head a decidedly wicked smile curving her lips. Booth had been determined to teach her something but he had walked out before he was sure she had gotten it and she, dedicated to learning as she was, just couldn't let that stand. Seeley Booth was about to find out what an excellent student she was and if they both learned a few things along the way, well, all knowledge was good, wasn't it? Grabbing her coat, she strode from her office with a determined gleam in her eyes, so focused on her destination and what would happen when she got there that she didn't even notice Angela and Hodgins watching her with wide, shocked eyes from behind a plant across from her office.

"Whoa, did you see that?" whispered Hodgins, not really sure "Damn that was hot" was an appropriate response for what they had just seen. Even though seeing Booth and Brennan practically vibrating with the effort to keep their hands off of each other had been one of the hottest things he had ever seen, he felt a little voyeuristic at spying on something so personal.

"Yeah, I saw it," breathed Angela, not feeling at all voyeuristic. "Damn, that was hot," she grinned at Hodgins flirtatiously, moving closer and running her hands up and down his arms.

"Umm hmm," he agreed, knowing exactly what was on Angela's mind because he was having the same thoughts. "Where do you think Brennan is going?" he asked absently, his hands moving to her waist and pulling her closer.

"Oh, she's going to find Booth," Angela replied confidently and Hodgins blinked in surprise. He had thought maybe Brennan was going to find something to punch, that was how wound up she had looked but he thought her finding Booth might have a much better outcome for the both of them. If what had happened in Brennan's office was any indication, they would be all over each other in seconds, exactly the way he wanted to be with Angela.

"I could use your help with something in the Egyptian Room," he murmured, pulling Angela closer.

"Of course, Hodgie, I'm always happy to help you out," Angela grinned, slipping out of his arms and taking his hand to pull him toward the elevator. Hodgins followed without hesitation giving only a fleeting thought to hoping that when Brennan chased him down, Booth got as lucky as he was about to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here you go. The rest of the story. The chapter is very long but there wasn't a good place to break it up so I hope you don't mind too much. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Thanks, T.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Booth raised his gun and fired but in his mind's eye he saw the little creep holding a knife to his partner's neck in a dirty alley and not the paper target on the gun range of the Hoover building. It didn't help. He was still enraged that someone had put their hands on his partner, threatened her safety, her very life, and he had failed to protect her. He wasn't sure anything could make him feel better about that but he was giving it a damned good try, emptying clip after clip into the targets. As weird as it was, the familiar, repetitive motion of pulling the trigger relaxed him and he knew from the unbelievable amount of time he had spent doing just that over the last two weeks that he would feel better, at least temporarily. But he didn't want a temporary fix, he wanted a permanent end to the bitter anger eating away at his guts, the pain in his chest every time he even thought about his partner, the aching sense of loss he felt every time he saw her or even heard her voice.

And he wanted the gut churning, self directed rage he had been feeling almost constantly over the last two weeks to stop. He still had trouble believing he had allowed the twelve year old pain in the ass goad him into telling Brennan how he felt and everything about the way he had done it made him cringe inside with regret. He could only assume he had been temporarily insane because what else would explain him forgetting everything he had learned about her over the years and hitting her in the face with the one thing she struggled to understand and express every day? God, he had practically accosted her and then when she had turned him down (_big surprise there)_, he had immediately told her he had to move on. _Way to go, Booth. I'm sure that really gave her confidence in a relationship between the two of you considering you had just told her you wanted to spend the next 50 years with her. NOT! _Wincing in shame at the reminder, Booth could only agree with his somewhat snarky inner voice.

Oh, yeah, he had messed up, big time and his heart ached at the lost opportunity to court her, woo her with romantic dates and flowers and everything that every woman had the right to expect from a man saying that he loved her. And the really sad thing was he had tied his own hands so thoroughly that he could never give her that now. Hell, his hands were tied so securely that he had spent the last two weeks afraid to bring it up again in any capacity, afraid she would see it as pushing and run. So, he had kept his mouth shut, hid his own pain and tried to be the partner of old but, within the last hour, he had begun to think that had been an even bigger mistake than the unforgivable way he had told her he loved her. And all because of what had happened in her office.

_What the hell had he been thinking in her office? _ Well, that was an easy one, he hadn't been thinking at all, at least not with his big head. He had been angry and trying to teach her a lesson but the second he had touched her, he had become the student. He had learned that her legs were firm, toned and as shapely as they appeared, that the sliver of exposed skin on her lower back was as soft and silky as it looked and he had learned that he didn't have as much control over his feelings for his partner as he had thought. He had learned, for him, that there would be no moving on and he had learned that no matter what she said, she had been just as turned on as he had been, that she sure as hell felt something stronger than friendship toward him.

He knew he should be ashamed of himself but he honestly couldn't bring himself to regret it, especially since it had given him an epiphany that made his heart pound faster with hope. As badly as he hated to admit it, he hadn't heard a word she had said that night between her turning him down and her asking him if they could still work together, all his senses concentrating on holding himself together instead of shattering with the pain of her rejection. _Was it possible that he had missed something important? That if he knew exactly what she had said, he would know what the real problem was because he knew she felt something for him, he knew it. Was it possible that he had spent the last two weeks in excruciating pain simply because he hadn't had a simple conversation with his partner?_ He was beginning to think the answer to all those questions was a resounding yes and that royally pissed him off.

He had let her set the parameters of this relationship for so long that he automatically continued to do so and he was done. He had no intention of turning into a stalker or pushing her toward a relationship but he was done with letting her boss him around, done pretending that he didn't love her, done with pretending he was happy with just being partners, done with all the bullshit of not talking about their feelings for each other. Yes, Brennan had the right to choose to not be with him and he would accept that if he was convinced she really meant it but right now, he just wasn't sure about anything except that he wasn't about to let her go without even a simple conversation. He knew he would be taking a chance on her seeing it as pushing and running but wasn't being happy for the rest of his life worth taking a risk for? After the last two weeks, he sure as hell thought so. And if she ran? Well, he would deal with that if it happened. But the bottom line was if she wanted him out of her life, she was going to have to kick him out kicking and screaming because he wasn't going anywhere, not as long as the possibility of them existed. Feeling a little weak from his decision, he laid the gun down, braced his hands on the counter and hung his head, sending up a quick prayer for God to show him how to do this right this time.

"Aren't you going to check the target?" Booth stiffened and raised his head, slowly turning it toward the female voice behind him.

"What are you doing here, Bones?" he asked softly, his eyes openly running over her. She didn't looked pissed off enough to kick his ass but the look in her eyes told him she definitely had something on her mind. He had to admit that she had every right to be pissed, he had been completely out of line in her office and if she wanted to lecture him about it, he would listen. Then it would be his turn to talk and he had several things to say to the good doctor. Without taking his eyes off of her face, he pushed away from the counter, picked up his gun, ejected the empty clip and inserted a full one.

"You should finish what you were doing first," Brennan replied pointing toward the clean target. "What I need could take a while," she finished quietly, not even aware that her fingers were plucking at the buttons of the coat she had folded over her arm. Noting the unusual sign of nervousness, Booth's eyes narrowed but he followed instructions.

"Okay, then." Booth turned back to his target, automatically sighting and pulling the trigger, his mind racing over scenarios that might be responsible for his partner being here, not at all reassured by the ones he was coming up with. Firing the last shot, he laid the gun on the counter, took a deep breath and turned toward Brennan, trying to quell the nervous rolling of his stomach and slow his pounding heartbeat. _God, he felt like a teenager about to tell a girl he liked her for the very first time, _he silently acknowledged, a wry grin curving his lips. "If you're here to kick my ass for what happened in your office, would an apology help?" he asked softly, resting a hip on the counter and crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes holding hers levelly.

Brennan blinked, then dropped her eyes to stare blindly at the floor. _He was sorry for what had happened in her office?_ _Did that mean it had only been a momentary loss of control? That he hadn't really meant it? That he still found her physically attractive but hadn't said he loved her that night because he really didn't love her? Had he already moved on? Oh, God, she couldn't do this,_ she shifted in panic, ready to spin on her heel and simply run. _Stop it_, she ordered herself firmly, _you can't run away from this. That's what you've been doing for 5 years and it's time to face it and deal with it, one way or the other._ Yes, it was time to deal with this but she couldn't just blurt out her feelings, not until she had some indication from him that he still felt the same way. She needed to gain more data and she thought she knew how to do it, if she could just find the courage to follow through.

"I'm not here to kick your ass, Booth," she said softly, raising her eyes to his face, blinking at how intently he was studying her face, unaware of the apprehension and confusion swirling in her eyes.

"I'm glad to hear it," he smiled, uncrossing his arms and gripping the edge of the counter, instinctively feeling that whatever had brought her here was very, very important.

"Booth, I have go. My wife will kill me if I'm late tonight. Are you finished?" came a male voice from behind Brennan, startling her enough for her head to swing around and see the agent standing behind her.

"We need a few minutes, Stevie," Booth said smoothly, his eyes never leaving his partner. "Go ahead, just lock up and I'll let myself out."

"Okay," Stevie returned, his interested gaze flitting between Booth and Brennan, the tension rolling off both of them in waves. He really did have to get home but, man, would he love to be a fly on the wall and see what happened between these two when they were alone. "Goodnight, then," he murmured, not surprised when no one answered him, Booth and Brennan's attention so focused on each other that he doubted they had even heard him. Shaking his head with a wry grin, he turned and made tracks, those two were either going to have a knockdown, drag out fight or they were going to jump each other and they definitely needed some privacy for either of those things.

Brennan's eyes flitted back up to Booth's to find his smoldering, brown eyes openly running over her face and upper torso, narrowing and lingering on the thrust of her breasts under her thin t-shirt, making no attempt to disguise that he liked what he saw. Brennan's breath caught at the fluttering in her lower abdomen and she suddenly knew there was no way she was walking out of here tonight without her answers, afraid that if she walked away tonight she might never find the courage to address it again.

"You know, Booth," she straightened from the wall and slowly walked toward him, "you were extremely insistent that I learn the correct FBI procedures to frisk a suspect and you were exceedingly…thorough with your demonstration but you forgot one thing." Leaning around him, she placed her coat on the counter beside his gun and straightened to step up until they were standing toe to toe.

"And what was that?" he asked huskily, his hands clenching on the counter to keep from reaching for her, his body reacting and beginning to harden just from her being this close.

"One of the most important aspects of teaching is determining if the student has adequately retained the information and can properly utilize it," she lectured, but this wasn't her usual teacher voice. This voice was a low, husky purr that sent shivers down Booth's spine and turned his brain to mush, interfering with his ability to understand her words.

"I don't know what that means," he admitted after clearing his throat.

"It means, Booth, that now it's my turn," she didn't even try to hide the satisfied smile on her face. Booth blinked then his eyes widened, his stomach coiling in panic as her meaning sunk in. _Oh, God, she was here for payback and even though he might deserve it, he didn't think he could take her hands all over him without jumping her on the spot._

"Bones, I don't think that's a good idea," he murmured, trying to ignore the scream of protest from his body which was saying that it thought it was a wonderful idea.

"So you're saying that you really don't care if I can properly frisk a suspect?" she queried, blinking up at him innocently, knowing she was pushing and unable to stop, wanting to push him until he snapped and either made another declaration or just _showed_ her how he felt, terrified that without that she wouldn't be able to find her voice and tell him how _she_ felt.

Closing his eyes, Booth knew he was between a rock and a hard place. Yes, he had every intention of pursuing a relationship with his partner but he had no intention of repeating the mistakes he'd made outside Sweets' office and he needed a little time to figure out how to avoid that. Plus, he needed to be calm for that conversation, not aching with the need to pull her against him and simply show her how he felt with his body and after what had happened in her office, he didn't think that was going to be anytime tonight.

As he saw it, he had two choices. One would be sheer torture but there was simply too much riding on it for him to chance a serious conversation when they were both this volatile. _Physical torture it was._ Sending up a quick prayer for the strength to get through this, he opened his eyes and stared directly into cerulean pools that were studying him thoughtfully. "Show me what you got, Bones," he sighed, pushing off of the counter and standing up straight. He hadn't meant it as a dare but the way Brennan's eyes narrowed and the gleam of anticipation that suddenly appeared in them told him that was exactly how she had taken it. "Bones," he began warningly, stepping toward her, his voice breaking off as she suddenly pivoted, grabbed his arm, bent it behind his back and used his own momentum in stepping toward her to propel him into the wall.

Too surprised to stop her, Booth hit the wall with a muffled oomph, not hard enough to hurt him but definitely hard enough to arouse his more primal instincts. Swallowing hard, he tried to ignore the visions of them getting just a little rough with each other parading through his mind but there was no way he could ignore just how hard those visions made him, especially when he felt Brennan step closer, her breasts flattening against his back, pinning his body between the hard wall and her much softer body.

"Assume the position," she huskily ordered into his ear and he didn't have a hope in hell of stopping the shudder that wracked his entire body.

"What are you doing, Bones?" he growled, turning his head and pinning her with eyes so hot, so turned on that she had to take a long moment to steady her breathing before answering.

"I'm showing you what I've got, Booth. Isn't that what you did in my office?" she queried, hoping her voice wasn't as shaky as her legs or her hands or her fluttering belly, dropping her eyes so he wouldn't see the reciprocating heat shining there.

_Damn_, thought Booth closing his eyes, _she just had to go and use logic on him, reminding him that he deserved whatever she was about to dish out. _Teeth clenched so hard it would be impossible for words to get through, he followed her instructions, pushing back from the wall and flattening his palms against it, biting back a groan as his movements pressed Brennan's breasts against his back more firmly. _God, he was so turned on he could barely stand still and she hadn't even touched him yet. _

Forcing herself to step away from him, Brennan clutched her trembling hands together, ignoring how eager they were to be gliding over her partner. Taking a moment to calm herself, she walked around him, her eyes running caressingly over his aesthetically pleasing bone structure and well developed body. But she had lost the ability to assess Booth clinically years ago and now her gaze was hot, needy, lustful and God she wanted to touch him. But more than that, she wanted the _right_ to touch him whenever she wanted, she wanted him to have the same right regarding her, she wanted to stop being afraid to show him how much she loved him and she desperately wanted to believe that it could last forever, to find the courage to give him the chance to prove it to her.

Very much afraid that this was her very last chance to reach for any of those things, Brennan took a deep breath and stepped forward, her hands landing on either side of Booth's hips. Hooking her thumbs into his belt to keep them still, she forced her lust and fear addled brain to concentrate, immediately seeing how Booth's body needed to be repositioned. "Spread your legs," she ordered huskily, inserting a slender leg between his and nudging at his legs. Becoming more aggressive when he didn't immediately respond to her instructions, she slid her bent leg up between his heavy thighs, pushing them apart, accidently going a little too far until her soft thigh was pressed against his groin, rubbing back and forth.

"God, Bones," Booth couldn't stop the guttural, strangled release of breath any more than he could stop his hips pressing downward and rocking back and forth, her knee angling upward and treating his erection to passing grazes. Panting, his hands fisted against the wall, Booth used every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep from turning around and reaching for her. _God, she was killing him here,_ he was hard as a rock and he couldn't even think about the curve of her ass without his entire body clenching even more tightly but his instincts were screaming that this wasn't about payback for what had happened in her office. This was about something else entirely, something important if he could only get his lust fogged brain to focus long enough to figure it out.

"Sorry," Brennan mumbled, the torment in Booth's voice bringing her to her senses and reinforcing her impression that there was definitely a strong sexual attraction for her on his part, giving her hope that he did, indeed, love her. Dropping her foot back to the floor, she stepped back, a little dizzy from her body's rampant reaction to touching him, her breasts tight and aching, her lower abdomen twisting into knots, her center throbbing and flooding with moisture from the simple fact that she could turn him on so easily. Slowing her rapid, jerky respirations from sheer force of will, she squatted and reached for his right ankle with shaky hands, beginning to seriously doubt her ability to push Booth to the limits of his control while hanging onto her own. That impression was reinforced when her hands began to stroke up his hard calf and moved to his well developed thigh, her hands itching to rip the cloth away and run over his bare skin, her breath hitching at the erotic images running through her mind of her doing just that.

Booth was having some trouble catching his own breath, the muscles in his right thigh quivering at the feeling of those firmly caressing hands. It felt wonderful but at the same time, it wasn't enough, he wanted her hands on his bare skin. _Hell, who was he kidding?_ He wanted them both naked and hot and sweaty and, dammit, if she didn't stop the glide of that hand up his inner thigh there was no way he was going to be able to stop his hands from reaching for her. And he knew, without a doubt, that if he put his hands on her again tonight, he wouldn't be able to restrain himself. He would have her naked and pressed up against the wall before he could stop himself. Desperately trying to ignore the way his erection twitched and throbbed at just the thought, he clamped his thighs together, trapping her hand in silent protest, dropping his head between his arms, closing his eyes and hoping she got the message.

She did and moved on, her hands becoming efficient and moving down his other leg, suddenly eager to be face to face with him, needing to see his expression, hoping his eyes would tell if he was feeling anything other than the expected response to arousing stimuli. She thought it would break her heart if that's all she saw but she needed to know too badly to stop now. Relaxing at the change in her touch, Booth released a sigh of relief. Yeah, having her hands on him period turned him on but he could handle this. That short lived relief deserted him entirely mere seconds later when she stood and her hands landed on his butt, kneading and clutching, her nails scraping down the length of his butt cheeks. Breath hissing out, his hips jerked forward just as her hands slid around his belt and slipped into his front pockets. _Jesus, what the hell was she trying to do to him here? Drive him completely out of his mind?_

"I forgot to ask if you have anything dangerous in your pockets," Brennan muttered breathlessly. Leaning forward and rubbing her breasts against his back to ease their ache, her hands moving up and down inside his pockets, stroking his upper thighs and moving dangerously close to his aching hard on. And, God, he wanted her to touch him like that, wanted to feel her hand wrapping around his needy flesh and stroking him to release, wanted to push inside her eager body and take them both on a journey of discovery, wanted to do every erotic thing imaginable to her incredibly beautiful body but not like this. Loving her as much as he did, he didn't think he could handle her making love with him because she had been overcome by lust or even as her best friend with benefits, not unless it meant she was willing to give them a try.

"Stop it, Bones," he growled, a little surprised when she immediately obeyed him, pulling her hands from his pockets, leaving his shuddering, hungry body hard and aching. And he was suddenly absolutely furious with her for dangling what he wanted most in the whole world before him when he wasn't sure he could have it, for tying him up in knots just because she could. Shivering, her whole shaking with desire, Brennan wanted to scream in frustration that Booth hadn't given in yet. She knew it wasn't fair or rational for her to be afraid to tell him how she felt until he reassured her that he hadn't changed his mind but there was nothing rational about the way Booth made her feel and she was terrified the last chance for them to be together was quickly slipping through her grasping fingers. Dragging her heavy breasts across his back just because she couldn't help herself, she stepped to his side and slid under his raised arm, wiggling her body between the hard wall and his hard body.

"What are you doing?" Booth groaned, not even pretending he didn't enjoy the wiggling, not even trying to control his body surging toward her when her hips slipped into the perfect position and pressed against his hard on.

"I'm being thorough, Booth," Brennan panted, her hands reaching out to very, very thoroughly explore his chest, her confused eyes taking in his closed, angry expression and trying to make sense of it in conjunction with his obvious arousal.

"Are you done?" Booth growled as her hands settled to rest on his belt, knowing he was being abrupt, that he was confusing her but he'd had just about all he could take. He was so freaking hot and hard that just the thought of sliding into her tight warmth almost sent him over the edge and if he didn't get her away from him soon, he would be fucking her against the wall despite his best efforts not to. Gut roiling with anger and desire, he looked down into glazed, unfocused blue eyes, her bottom lip red and swollen from her biting it to hold back her own groans when she had been touching him, her entire expression utterly needy and wanton and knew, without a doubt that she wanted this as much as he did. That made him even angrier and he wanted to punish her for doing this to him, for showing him what he could have but being unwilling to give it to him in a way he could accept.

The need to put some distance between them before he did something stupid paramount, he pushed off of the wall and tried to step back only to be brought up short by Brennan's two handed grip on his belt buckle. Looking down in surprise, his eyes narrowed and he raised them to his partner's face, glad to see that she looked furious. Well, that was fine with him, he was more than ready to fight with her, needing some kind of release before he simply exploded from the gathering pressure in his body.

"I'm not done, Booth," she smirked, panicked that he seemed ready to just walk away from her again, leaving her with no answers and little hope that she would ever get any. Feeling that if he walked away again she was going to lose something infinitely precious and dear to her and not even knowing what it was made her furious that he wouldn't just do what she wanted and confirm that he loved her. Heart aching with the possibility that she had been wrong and he really didn't love her at all, she figured she had nothing left to lose at this point because if Booth didn't love her she had already lost everything anyway. Allowing her fingers to drift lower, past his belt buckle and dangerously close to his pulsing flesh, she held her breath and waited for his response.

"Go ahead," Booth taunted, placing his hands back against the wall and making no attempt to stop her despite knowing he should just shut his mouth and walk away, very seriously doubting if even his very straightforward partner would do what she was threatening. His doubt was shaken as she lifted her head and he caught sight of her eyes, eyes that were swirling and glinting with so many emotions he couldn't hope to identify them all but he didn't have any trouble recognizing the determination and anger. Well, good then, they were both pissed off but he needed to make himself very, very clear about what she was about to do. "But if you do, you'd damned well better be ready to back it up. Because I will most definitely consider that an open invitation," he hissed, bending his head until they were nose to nose, sure that threat would dissuade her from pushing him just too damned far.

Scared, desperate, goaded, Brennan held his eyes and deliberately ran the heel of her hand slowly down his erection, pressing firmly enough for him to get the full effect but not firmly enough for the zipper of his pants to hurt him. Faster than even he had known he could move, Booth grabbed her hands, slamming them against the wall over her head and holding them there with hard hands, his big body roughly pushing her up against the wall. Looking down at her, seeing her pressed against the wall in almost exactly the same spot he had held her captive in the Cleo Eller case, a strong sense of déjà vu swept over him, reminding him in vivid detail of the things he had wanted to do to his luscious partner even way back then. Only knowing he hadn't had the right to touch her like he wanted to had saved her back then but he no longer felt like that. In fact, he felt like he was the only person who would ever have the right to touch her like that again.

Knowing he wasn't being rational, knowing that his emotions were driving him, and he would very likely come to regret it didn't stop him from bending his head and placing his open mouth on her neck. If this was all she could offer him, all he was ever going to have of her, then he was damned sure going to have a taste. Moaning, Brennan tilted her head to the side, her mind struggling to make sense of the look on anger on Booth's face while her body bowed toward him, wanting more, craving everything he had ever promised her in those teasing little conversations about love and forever and making love versus crappy sex. Sucking on her neck like a starving man, Booth couldn't stop his body from urgently surging against hers, slipping a thigh between her legs and pressing high and hard. The breathy, whimpering little sighs coming from her throat as her hips bucked against his thigh threatening what little control he had left, Booth dragged his mouth away from her neck and covered her lips with his, instinctively trying to stop those arousing noises, immediately knowing it was a mistake.

_But, God, it didn't feel like a mistake_. His tongue slipped into her mouth seeking and finding the sweet, sweet taste of his Bones, a taste that he had craved to indulge for the last six years and it felt wonderful. Her tongue glided teasingly against his, tempting him into the deepest recesses of her mouth and it felt perfect. They shared a moan as her bucking hips shifted angles and stroked his hard length with every forward motion and it felt like something he wanted to do every day for the rest of his life. He knew it would destroy him to have her like this and then have her walk away but he just didn't have the strength to pull away from her, not now. And that thought brought on an epiphany of blinding proportions, one that made his heart race with hope and relaxed the knot of anxiety in his gut had been twisted in for the past two weeks. He knew that his partner cared about him and their partnership too much to risk destroying it in a meaningless sexual encounter. Was it possible she had come here tonight to tell him she was ready to give them a try? It was not only possible but highly probable, his gut told him and he wanted to laugh aloud at the realization that everything he so deeply desired seemed to be within his grasp. But he could hope and dream all day, Brennan was the only one who knew what her motivations were and he simply had to know for sure.

Releasing her wrists, his hands cupped her face and tilted it upward, his mouth softening on hers and losing its hungry urgency, he kissed her with aching, possessive tenderness, trying to convey every bit of love he felt for her in that one kiss, his heart lurching in his chest when Brennan's mouth softened and turned just as tender as his. All too soon, he knew if he didn't pull away now, he never would and it wouldn't be fair to either of them to start off a relationship like this. Dragging his mouth away from hers, he trailed hot, open mouthed kisses across her jaw line to her ear.

"Why did you come here tonight, Bones?" He whispered directly into her ear, his teeth toying with the sensitive lobe.

Lost in the sea of sensations generated by her body being pressed so tightly against one she had lusted after for so very long, his lips moving across her skin sending darts of desire directly to her core to increase the empty, aching feel that only he could appease, Brennan forced her heavy eyelids open and tried to make sense of what Booth was saying. His breath puffing against the sensitive shell of her ear sending shivers down her spine and the teeth tugging on her earlobe making that next to impossible, she turned her head, eagerly searching for his mouth with hers. Busy hands quickly undoing the buttons on his white dress shirt, she bent her head and dragged her open mouth across the hard muscles that were slowly being revealed.

Growling deep in his throat, Booth's hand fisted in her hair, the feeling of her soft lips gliding across his bare skin, her tongue licking and lathing sending darts of exquisite pleasure along every nerve ending. He had fantasized about this very thing too many times to count but, God, the reality was so much better than the fantasy. Ever stroke of her fingers, every glide of her lips, every flick of her tongue making him harder and hotter until he felt like he was going to shatter into a million pieces at the next touch. His other hand moved to her hip, encouraging the roll of her hips, the grinding of her hot, wet center against his thigh, urging her hips closer to graze his aching cock with every roll. Moaning against the sweat slickened skin of his chest, Brennan gladly followed the urgings of his hand on her hip, rolling, jerking her hips along his hard, hard thigh, the friction her pants generated against her swollen, sensitive clit sending her closer and closer to the edge with every pass.

Shuddering, knowing that if he didn't get his answers very, very soon, it would no longer matter because his screaming body was going to take over and demand relief from the aching agony only she could generate in him, Booth cupped her face between his hands and gently forced her mouth away from his chest, groaning at the loss of contact. Tipping her face upward, his gut clenched even harder at the look of utter abandonment, complete wantonness in her glassy, unfocused, very dark, blue eyes.

"Why are you doing this, Bones?" He growled gutturally, desperately needing the answer so he could just let go of his control, give in to the clawing need to join his body with hers.

"Does it matter?" Brennan gasped, so caught up in how he made her feel that she was incapable of anything other than very rudimentary thought at the moment. Busily trying to push his shirt off of his shoulders, it took her several long seconds to realize that his current position made that impossible and she sighed in disappointment, her attention turning to his pleasure giving mouth that was only inches from hers. "I don't want to talk, Booth," she whined, leaning forward and catching his lower lip between her teeth, giving it a less than gentle nip then releasing it to sneak her tongue between his gasping lips. Laughing throatily when his mouth covered hers before he could stop himself, she sighed in pleasure and opened her mouth under the aggressive, possessive slant of his, her hands smoothing down his chest and exploring the ridged lines of his washboard abs.

Booth didn't particularly want to talk either. His entire body was shuddering, shaking with the need to just rip her clothes off and bury himself inside her, but he needed to know exactly what he was getting himself into. Not that it mattered anymore because he knew that nothing on the face of the earth was going to stop him from making love with her here and now but, as ridiculous as it might seem, he _needed _to know what it was going to mean to her. Feasting on her avid mouth only increased the need to stop thinking and just enjoy as did her hand drifting down his chest but he just couldn't let it go. One way or the other he had to know and if her hand moved a few inches lower, he wasn't ever going to get his answers. Hell, if her hand kept moving lower, he wasn't even going to remember the question. Grabbing both of her wandering hands, he forced them against the wall on either side of her head, jerking his mouth away from hers and resting his forehead against hers, panting heavily.

Moaning, Brennan met smoldering almost black eyes that sent darts of electricity jolting through her system, making her want to put her hands and mouth all over him. Now. Tugging at her hands to free them so she could reach for him, she finally realized that Booth wasn't going to let her go and every bit of her frustration and tension from the last two weeks, not to mention that she was more aroused than she had ever been in her life with no relief in sight, turned into anger. "What is your problem, Seeley Booth?" she snapped. "Is this what turns you on? Being in charge, being a tease?" she continued nastily, appalled at the words spilling from her mouth but at a loss to stop them.

Looking into her furious face, Booth couldn't prevent the grin from tipping his lips upward, even when her eyes narrowed and she glared at him. He thought pissed off, snarky Bones was adorable. "I just want you to answer a question for me," he murmured softly, ignoring her questions about what turned him on for the moment, not being entirely sure she was ready to hear that.

"What?" she practically yelled, not sure if she wanted to jump him or hit him more at the moment, knowing that she had completely lost control of her brain and her mouth and not even caring.

"Why are you doing this? Why did you come here tonight?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers until she winced and his attention was drawn to her mouth, to where she had her bottom lip clamped between her teeth tightly enough to draw blood, presumably to keep herself from answering his question.

Suddenly feeling very lighthearted, Booth raised her arms above her head and transferred both wrists to one of his big hands, his other hand going to her mouth, his thumb gently removing her lip from between her teeth. "Unn Uhh, no cheating," he chided gently, tenderly stroking her abused lip, only his sniper reflexes saving him from a nip of his own when she made a low growling sound in the back of her throat and tried to bite his thumb. Biting back a laugh that he didn't think she would appreciate, he gave her a reproachful look, feeling oddly glad to see his always in control Bones so close to losing it, honestly feeling that it would do her good to just turn loose of all that structure and control and just let go every once in a while. "Why did you come here tonight, Bones?" he asked quietly.

Grinding her teeth together in fury, the question reverberated in Brennan's head until she just wanted to make it stop, the feelings raised by the question itself, the exhausting internal debates over that very thing, the scared, lost way she had felt for the last two week, she just wanted it to all stop. And she could no more have stopped the words pouring from her mouth than she could have stopped the tide from coming in. "What do you want me to say, Booth?" she yelled. "That I can't think about anything but what you said outside Sweets' office? That every time I do, it makes my stomach hurt and I'm so scared that I just want to run away where I don't have to ever think about it again but I can't do that because the idea of not seeing you every day, not being with you scares me even more? That I don't even look at other men anymore because I compare them to you and find them wanting? That I can't even bring myself to masturbatory orgasm without imagining that it's you touching me? Does it make you happy to hear that, Booth? She screamed directly into his stunned face, not sure who she was angrier with, him for making her feel this way or herself for not being able to control those feelings. "Let me go, Booth," she demanded, yanking on her hands.

"Not a chance," he said softly, knowing he should feel bad about upsetting her so badly but simply unable to bring himself to feel anything but joy over the fact that she had just announced that she loved him. She might not be too happy about it at the moment but there was no way in hell she was walking out of here until they got a few things straight. Hand cupping her face, he gently forced her chin up, wanting her to be looking at him when he said what he needed to say so that she would see how true his words were. "I feel like I've been waiting my entire life for you to say that you love me, so, yes, it makes me very, very happy to hear you say those things," he whispered tenderly, his thumb stroking over her cheek.

"I didn't say that I love you, Booth," she scoffed, embarrassed and appalled at her loss of control, cringing at the revealing words she had spat at him now that her senses were beginning to return.

"Yes, you did," he insisted softly, his nose nuzzling against hers, his eyes glinting with something Brennan had never seen there before.

"No, I didn't," she insisted stubbornly, not even knowing why she was arguing. "I don't even like you very much right now," she added truthfully.

"Yes, you do," Booth laughed huskily, his lips whispering over hers. "You're just mad." His lips settled against the corner of her mouth, open and nibbling at her upper lip.

"How do you know?" she moaned, unable to resist turning her head for fuller contact with his lips.

"Because you are a very, very bad liar, Bones," he sighed into her mouth as her lips opened and her tongue slid aggressively into his mouth. Groaning, Booth's lips firmed and opened over hers, his tongue dueling with hers for long, long minutes until the need for oxygen became paramount and he reluctantly separated their mouths, resting his forehead against hers and panting for breath. "Sorry, Bones, but you said you love me and there are no changes, no takebacks," he told her firmly, raising his head to grin down at her, looking so young and happy and relaxed that her heart turned over in her chest. "In fact, I have to say I'm a little hurt that you would try to take it back," he pouted theatrically and Brennan couldn't help but smile. "I would never, ever try to take back saying I love you," her assured her fervently, his free hand working under the hem of her thin t-shirt and stroking over her abdomen, moving upward, causing Brennan's abdominal muscles to clench and jump under the caress, her breasts swelling and aching in anticipation of his touch.

"You never said it," Brennan gasped, arching toward him as his long finger brushed against the undersides of her breasts, struggling to concentrate on their words, knowing they were important.

"Never said what?" Booth was barely paying attention, not really needing any more words because all his important questions had been answered. She loved him and that was all that mattered. His body eagerly demanding that he get back to what they had been doing earlier, he nibbled on her lower lip, his big hand sliding over the smooth, satiny skin of her abdomen, just brushing the undersides of her lush, heavy breasts. His gut clenched tightly with the need to dispense with clothing altogether and explore her luscious body with his eyes, hands and lips.

"That you love me." Brennan fought to hold onto her train of thought as his hands and mouth threatened to drag her back into that world of pure, sensual feeling. "You never said that you love me," she clarified breathlessly, needing to get this out into the open.

"What?" he asked, his head jerking back in confusion. "Of course I said I love you that night," he insisted, his eyes running over Brennan's face, seeing by the head shake and the look of confusion and hurt that she most definitely didn't believe he had said the words that night. _And, dammit, she was right_, he realized seconds later after replaying that scene in his mind. _God, could he have messed that night up any worse if he had actually been trying? _Probably not, he admitted but it was time to let it go, to clean up his mess and move on. He couldn't change the events of that night but he could make damned sure that the love of his life was never left in doubt of his feelings for her again. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry for the way I hit you with everything that night," he sighed, releasing her wrists and reluctantly dragging his hand from under her shirt to cup her face in both hands.

"It's okay," she murmured dismissively and Booth's heart warmed at her trying to make him feel better about screwing up.

"No, it's not but we'll talk about that later," Booth murmured, dropping his forehead to rest against hers. "Right now, I want to make something crystal clear. I love you, Temperence Brennan. You're the last thing I think about before I go to sleep and the first thing I think of when I wake up and we won't even get into how often you visit my dreams." Laughing huskily at the gleam of interest in her eyes at the mention of his dreams, Booth continued, determined to come clean, to lay it all on the line. "Sometimes you make me so angry that I can't see straight but just being in the same room with you makes me happy. Sometimes you make me so crazy that I want to beat my head against the wall but just hearing your voice makes me smile. You make my bad days bearable and my good days fantastic, Bones. I hope I do the same for you and I want to spend the rest of my life doing that, driving each other nuts and making each other happy."

"That statement is completely illogical, Booth," Brennan couldn't help but point out and Booth could feel the need to beat his head against the wall coming on. Until she raised blue eyes shimmering with tears to his and smiled, "But I like the way it sounds," she whispered, her heart a melted puddle of goo in her chest from his tender words.

"Yeah?" he whispered, a slow, sexy smile that made her lower abdomen flutter and tighten curving his lips.

"Yeah," she whispered back, suddenly knowing that she could deal with her fears much more easily than the loss of Booth from her life. That would break not only her heart but her spirit and, as afraid as she was of saying the words, he deserved to hear them. "I love you, Booth," she whispered, her hands cupping his face in an imitation of his hold on her.

Booth's breath caught in his throat and his heart stuttered in his chest, knowing how hard it had been for her to simply say those specific words and knowing that she wasn't just informing him of her love but was making a commitment to him, to them. "I love you, too, Bones," he murmured huskily, not sure his body could contain the joy surging through it.

Bending his head, he captured her lips with his, kissing her with aching tenderness, with every ounce of love and joy in his heart, with relief that they had finally found each other and could get on with making a life together, with utter devotion and adoration. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Brennan returned the kiss, matching every brush of his lips, every glide of his tongue, every nuance of emotion, her heart feeling like it was swelling and expanding with love and happiness until she wasn't sure her chest could contain it. And as wonderful and right and perfect as those earlier kisses had felt, this one was even better, containing the promise of their commitment to each other and to making a life together. And it stayed soft and tender until Brennan's nails scraped down his chest, repeatedly running over his hard nipples at the same time her lips closed around his tongue and she sucked it into her hot, wet mouth. Moaning, Booth's mouth opened over hers, hot and hard and hungry and the kiss turned utterly carnal in the space of a heartbeat, his earlier arousal only intensified by now knowing that she loved him.

With a growl, Booth jerked her against his hard body, seeking her lips in a kiss of such heat and longing that her stomach clenched, sending a throb of sensation straight down between her thighs. His hands working under her t-shirt and pushing it upward, his calloused fingers stroking over her skin sent jolts of pure electricity throughout her entire body, making her feel so jittery, hungry and needy that appeasing that hunger was the only thought in her mind. Wrapping her arms around his neck and opening her mouth to the insistent demand of his tongue, she let go of that little piece of herself that she always held in reserve, even in intimate situations and totally surrendered herself to someone else for the first time in her adult life.

Booth sent his tongue aggressively into her mouth. _God, she tasted so good. _He very much wanted for their first time to be slow and sweet and tender but there was no stopping this, they were simply too hot for each other for either to call a halt now. He was harder than he had ever been in his life, aching with the need to bury himself inside her, the sexy, mewling little sounds she made as he rubbed that hardness against her making him crazy. Working his hands under her t-shirt and sliding it upward, he groaned into her open mouth when he encountered the weight of her lush breasts, breaking contact with her lips only long enough to pull the shirt over her head and toss it carelessly aside. Immediately returning to her avidly waiting mouth, his hands reached behind her back to release the clasp on her blue bra, leaving it in place for the moment, wanting to savor the anticipation of his first look at her perfect breasts.

Brennan was on fire, the aching and throbbing in her core already almost painful after almost 2 years without a release that hadn't been at her own hands. She whimpered as her aching nipples rubbed against Booth's granite chest, sending tendrils of fire shooting straight to her groin, but she wanted, needed, more. _God, she wanted naked skin on naked skin. She wanted him inside her now_. Her hands reached for the still done up buttons on his shirt, but she was too impatient to take the time to unbutton each one. Instead, she grasped the sides of his shirt and jerked, sending buttons flying, urgently shoving it off of his shoulders.

Pulling his hands from her body just long enough to shrug out of his shirt, Booth continued to kiss the amazingly sensual creature in his arms with something akin to desperation. He felt like his blood was bubbling in his veins and he was so hard he hurt, the primal desire to put his stamp of ownership on her in such a way that she would never forget or question that she belonged to him again almost overpowering. Fighting against those primal instincts, he held onto his fast disappearing control by a slender thread, his breath hissing out between his teeth and when she found his erection and eagerly caressed him through the fabric of his pants. Knowing he was fast approaching an absolute loss of control, Booth wanted to see every inch of her incredible body before that happened. Giving her one last, long, deep, hard, tongue thrusting kiss, he pulled away from her eager mouth, her whimper of protest shooting straight to his aching groin. His eyes dropping to her chest, he slowly peeled the straps of her bra down her arms, slowly revealing the plump, milky globes topped with pebbled pink tips to his mesmerized gaze.

"God, baby, you are so beautiful," he whispered, his head bending, his lips capturing a hard nipple and sucking it into his mouth.

"Ah..," Brennan cried out, arching her back, her head dropping back and thumping against the wall, every tug of his lips on her nipple generating a corresponding tugging pull in her core. "Please, Booth," she panted against his ear, her hands racing over his chest and settling on his belt buckle, her hands shaking too badly to manage to get it undone. "I need you inside of me now," she pleaded, her hand sliding down to curve around his distended flesh and stroke him through his pants.

The touch he had craved for so very long on his aching flesh and the utter need in her sexy voice snapped Booth's control completely, hurtling him so far into the realm of pure, raw, physical need that there was no slowing down, there was only the desperate desire to find fulfillment for both of them. Within seconds, he was squatting in front of her, jerking her shoes off and throwing them aside, his big hands hooking into the waistband of her yoga pants and peeling them and the tiny excuse for underwear she seemed to prefer down those long, perfect legs, urging her to step out of them and tossing them aside. Still kneeling at her feet, he leaned forward, pressing a string of kisses to her taut abdomen and swirling his tongue into her bellybutton. One hand went to cup her bottom, the other combing through the auburn curls in front of him to find her hot and dripping wet, her hips jerking toward his fingers pleadingly. His fingers slipped forward and flicked her distended clit and her head fell back against the wall with a thump that brought his head up.

"Please, Booth," she whimpered, wanting him inside of her but not wanting him to stop what he was doing, so turned on that her needy body just wanted some relief. "I need to come. Please," she panted, her hands cupping and lifting her breasts, her fingers restlessly plucking at the aching tips. Growling, his eyes glued to the movements of her hands, Booth slid a single, thick finger inside her slick channel, shuddering at how tightly her inner muscles clamped around his finger. "More," Brennan moaned, her body no longer under her control, her hips jerking and rolling as her body coiled tighter and tighter.

Fighting down his own need, wanting, needing to give her this, Booth slipped a second finger into her wet, tight core and began a leisurely rhythm, but she wanted none of that. She wanted hard and fast and she wanted satisfaction now her thrusting hips told him. Suddenly, unable to wait to hear her call his name in satisfaction, he lifted one leg over his shoulder and opened her to his mouth. Leaning forward and running his tongue along her moist folds, Booth rubbed his tongue back and forth across her distended nub and increased the tempo of his fingers, loving her taste, her smell, the way her body was responding to him, getting hotter and wetter, loving every single thing about making love with this incredibly sensual creature. Feeling her walls tightening around his fingers, he knew she was on the edge and he wanted it to be good for her, so damned good that she would forget anyone but him had ever been able to give her this. Determined to make that happen, his lips firmed and closed around her clit.

Panting, whimpering, Brennan was poised on the precipice of a shattering orgasm, the intensity of which promised to be beyond her experience and that just made her want it more. _Just a little more she begged_, her hips pumping frantically against his hand. Her breath hitched and stalled as his lips closed around her clit, sucking hard and suddenly she was there, her whole body bowing toward him as she screamed his name. Her body wracked with shudders, she was propelled into a deep, dark abyss of pure pleasure, wave after wave of throbbing release spreading from her core to every cell of her body.

Completely out of control, his whole body throbbing with the need to be inside her, Booth was on his feet kicking off his pants and underwear before her screams of satisfaction completely faded, lifting her with his hands on her bottom and pulling her legs around his waist. Pressing her tightly against the wall, he was pushing inside her before her orgasm faded, the tight drag of her still contracting walls against his twitching cock excruciatingly pleasurable.

"God, Bones," he shuddered, fighting to hold back his own orgasm as he worked his length into her unbelievably tight sheath with slightly rough thrusts. _God, he wanted to be gentle but the need to be buried as deeply inside her as he could get just wouldn't let him._ And she sure didn't seem to mind the roughness, her hips rolling in tandem with his thrusts, whimpering, her eyes closed, her head rolling from side to side against the wall, her hands all over him, stroking and teasing. Growling, Booth gave one more hard push and slipped fully inside. Ignoring the need to keep thrusting, he held himself completely still, savoring the sensation of finally being where he had wanted to be for so long. And, God, it was so much better than he had ever imagined, indescribably arousing and erotic but more importantly he felt like he had come home and he never wanted to leave. Tangling one hand in her hair, and tilted Brennan's face up and waited until her eyelids fluttered open and she met his eyes and they took his breath away, dark and cloudy with desire, blazing up at him with the same need and love that he was sure was shining from his.

"Are you ok?" he asked gently, his thumb stroking across her cheek.

Finding herself unable to speak, Brennan nodded. She was better than okay, she was wonderful. She suddenly felt like she had found the place she hadn't even known she had been searching for her entire adult life, the place she belonged, the place she would always be safe and wanted and loved. The place she never wanted to leave and that place was her partner's arms. She was thankful and very much wanted to give those feelings the appropriate consideration but she simply couldn't ignore the feeling of Booth's hard length buried inside her, stretching her deliciously, reigniting her desire and reminding her that Booth had given her a mind-blowing orgasm but he was still achingly hard, still wanting. As much as she wanted to experience that addictive pleasure again, she wanted to give it to him more, to make him feel as special, as loved and desired as he made her feel. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down biting his lower lip then sucking it into her mouth, deliberately tightening and relaxing her internal muscles around him. As tightly as she already fit around him, the milking motions were almost unbearably erotic for both of them and when her hips thrust forward, seating him even deeper, Booth completely lost it.

"Hold on tight, Baby," he growled, taking her mouth passionately, his hands going to her bottom, lifting her almost off of his erection with the strength of his arms alone. Moaning into each other's mouths, Booth released her bottom and let her own weight carry her back down. Gasping, Brennan locked her legs around his hips and repeated the movement. Deep, animal growls issuing from his throat, Booth pressed her even more tightly against the wall and began thrusting hard and fast, the friction from her tightness quickly sending him spiraling toward climax, his mouth eating at hers, eagerly swallowing all the sounds of pleasure issuing from her throat.

Knowing she was close to a second orgasm, Booth worked a hand between their joined bodies, stroking her clit as he pounded into her, his body growing harder and tighter with every thrust. Head dropping back as her entire body tightened, Brennan tightened her arms and legs around Booth and just rode out the storm, concentrating on the pleasurable pulses originating in her core and spreading throughout her entire body. Latching on to her exposed neck and sucking hard, Booth let go and buried himself inside her as deeply as possible again and again, each stroke pushing him higher, the pleasure already almost unbearable. With a strangled scream, Brennan came hard, her hips thrusting jerkily toward him, her whole body trembling in his arms and her orgasm triggered his. Starting at the tips of his toes, it rolled upward, gathering in intensity until it exploded in his groin, every cell in his body vibrating with pleasure as he poured everything he was into this woman, groaning her name against her neck as the ecstasy of release seemed to go on forever.

Long minutes later, Booth drifted back to full consciousness to find himself almost crushing a limp, sated Brennan against the wall. Attempting to pull back, he realized his knees were shaking and leaned back against the wall for support, shifting his weight slightly so as not to crush her. Lifting her head with a finger under her chin, he met sleepy, sated blue eyes.

"Are you ok?" he asked with a tender smile.

"I'm perfect," Brennan purred with a soft smile and Booth had to laugh at the response.

"Yes, you are," he agreed softly. "You are utterly," tilting her chin a little higher, he brushed a soft, tender kiss across her swollen, rosy lips, "completely," his lips lingered, nudging hers apart for a deeper kiss, "perfectly perfect. I love you, Bones," he sighed into her open mouth intending to give her a gentle kiss, but her tongue slid into his mouth and the kiss turned hot and hungry instantly. Incredibly, Booth felt himself growing hard while still buried in her hot depths.

"God, woman, what are you doing to me?" he gasped, pulling his head back just far enough to get the words out. Completely ignoring the question, Brennan attacked his neck with her teeth and tongue, whimpering low in her throat while moving suggestively against him, sure that she could make love with Booth every single day for the rest of her life and never get enough of this addictive, drugging pleasure. With a long groan, Booth pushed them away from the wall and turned them until his back was against the wall, jerkily sliding down until he was seated on the floor with her straddling his lap, his usual smooth moves with women completely eclipsed by his passion for this one woman. Before he could even catch his breath, Brennan adjusted the position of her legs and was gliding up and down his hard length, hands gripping his shoulders tightly, her dark, dark blue eyes holding his even as she released a shuddering breath each time she fully seated herself on him.

Booth had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life than the face of the woman he loved lost in the pleasure of them making love. And, despite his past romantic entanglements, he honestly felt that he was truly making love for the first time in his life. Reaching up and fisting a hand in her hair, he pulled her head down for a deep, reverent kiss that left them both gasping for air. Dipping her head, Brennan lightly bit his shoulder, the sensation of her teeth closing on his flesh sending shivers down Booth's spine to join the ones already radiating upward from her hot, tight glide on his cock.

Unable to believe how fast she was sending him toward orgasm, especially considering the spectacular one she had just given him, Booth gripped her waist hard, pulling her down as he thrust upward, long gasping moans from both of them echoing around the empty room. Lowering his mouth to her perfect breasts, Booth used his lips, tongue and teeth to show her how much he adored this particular asset, paying special attention to the distended nipples. Whimpering at the pleasurable sensations bombarding her body from multiple points, Brennan increased her speed adding a swirl to the end of each thrust of her hips, her thighs trembling, her inner muscles tightening around his hardness.

"I love you, Booth," she moaned into his ear. Growling, his hand wrapped in her hair and dragged her head up for a deeply passionate, possessive kiss.

Brennan was already so hot, she was reconsidering her belief in spontaneous combustion, every movement of their straining bodies driving her closer to orgasm and the utter possessiveness of that kiss sent even further into that never ending abyss of pleasure that she had only discovered tonight. Moaning into his avid mouth as her body stiffened and shattered, Brennan's inner muscles clamped around him so tightly she could feel every twitch, every throb of his cock as he lengthened and hardened inside her.

And that did it for Booth. His hands tightening on her hips, he arched upward as he pulled her down, holding his position as he emptied spurt after spurt of his seed deep inside her body. Feeling her tighten around his sensitive flesh, knowing that she was coming apart in his arms because of him, because of what they had together, sending him right into the abyss of incredible pleasure after her. Seconds later, Brennan collapsed against his sweaty chest, her head falling to his shoulder, sighing tiredly, her sleepy blue eyes fluttering closed.

"That was incredible," Booth whispered, one arms wrapping tightly around her shoulders to hold her close, the other rising to brush the hair off of her damp neck and cheek so he could see her face.

"Ummm hmm," Brennan murmured drowsily, too exhausted to speak much less move. Smiling tenderly, Booth's thumb brushed across her cheek, unable to stop touching her.

"You can't go to sleep yet, Bones," he chided softly, his thumb stroking across her bottom lip.

"Why not?" she mumbled, not opening her eyes but her lips curved into a smile under his thumb.

"Because we're naked on the gun range of the FBI building," he whispered like he was telling her some deep dark secret, his nose nuzzling her cheek. Laughing, Brennan opened her eyes and looked directly into dark, brown ones that were regarding her with so much love and contentment that her heart actually went pitter patter in her chest.

"You look happy," she whispered, reaching up to cup his cheek.

"I am happy," he agreed instantly, his hand covering hers and pressing it against his cheek. "You make me very, very, very happy, Bones," he assured her, bringing her hand around to his mouth and pressing a tender kiss into her palm. "I hope that I make you happy, too, baby," he whispered, dropping his forehead to rest against hers.

"You do make me happy, Booth," she replied instantly, looking contrite for not already telling him how happy he made her.

"But?" he queried, seeing the flicker of anxiety in her eyes. "Come on, Bones," he prodded when she shrugged and dropped her eyes, "you'll feel better if you tell me. Sharing is part of being a couple," he urged, instantly regretting the words when he saw her flinch. "Oh, baby," he sighed, running a hand over her hair, "I know you're scared, but everything's going to be okay. I will never let you down, Bones. I will never betray you," he told her firmly, holding her eyes, his voice filled with absolute conviction.

"I know that, Booth," she said, the thought of him doing either never having crossed her mind. "I'm not scared for me, Booth. I'm scared for you," she whispered, her eyes filled with apprehension.

"I don't know what that means," he admitted, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm really bad at relationships, Booth," she said fretfully, her hand absently stroking his chest. "What if I can't be the person you need me to be to make you happy?" she whispered and his brow cleared, knowing he could handle this crisis.

"Oh, baby," he whispered, his eyes softening, his lips curving into a smile of absolute tenderness. "Don't you know that you already are the person, the _only _person, I need to make me happy? And that I wouldn't change a single, solitary thing about you even if I could?" Brennan blinked, her eyes telling Booth how very much she wanted to believe his words and he knew he would just have to show her he was telling the truth but he had no problem whatsoever with spending the rest of his life doing that. "I wouldn't change a single," his big hand tilted her chin upward and he brushed a gentle kiss across her lips, "solitary," another tender kiss, "thing about you. Trust me, baby," their lips met in a longer kiss, "I love you just the way you are." Resting his forehead against hers, Booth didn't think he had ever been happier than when her lips curled into a soft smile and she nodded in acceptance of his words. For her, it was a definite leap of faith that proved just how much she trusted him.

"I kind of wish we could just stay here for a while," Brennan sighed, wishing they could stay her like this for the next 10 years or so and not have to face the inevitable issues that would arise between two people who were so very dissimilar.

"Well, Bones, I guess we could but it might get a little embarrassing when Stevie comes in and opens the range in the morning," Booth teased, grinning at her.

"You know what I mean, Booth," Brennan snorted poking him in the side. Laughing and grabbing her finger because she had zeroed in on a ticklish spot, Booth brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers.

"Yeah, baby, I know what you mean," Booth assured her solemnly, "but we have to go out there sometime."

"I know," Brennan sighed regretfully, sitting up and looking around for her clothes. Grinning, Booth used his longer reach to gather the scattered articles of clothing and hand them to her, watching with interest as she quickly slipped her pants and shirt on, forgoing underwear completely. "What?" she asked, catching his wicked grin, the way his eyes were possessively roaming her body.

"Nothing," he grinned, reaching for his own clothes, standing up to slip on his boxers and dress pants, his eyes still running over Brennan.

"What?" she demanded again, planting her hands on her hips and looking down to see if something was exposed that shouldn't be.

"I was just thinking that from now on, every time I look at you, I'll wonder if you're wearing underwear," he grinned, pulling on his shirt and doing up the buttons that Brennan hadn't ripped off in her aggressive need to rid him of his clothing, not missing the way she rolled her eyes at the juvenile statement.

"For the sake of clarification, if I'm wearing pants, you can assume that I'm not wearing underwear," she informed him helpfully.

"Bones, I _so_ did not need to know that," Booth groaned, pausing in the act of tucking in his shirt tail.

"Why?" she blinked innocently and Booth sighed, zipping and buttoning his slacks and taking two steps, closing the distance between them and cupping her face in his hands.

"Because I already get hard just watching you walk across the room or bending over one of your tables and knowing you aren't wearing isn't really going to help with that," he informed her with a wry grin.

"Sorry," she apologized, slipping her arms around his waist, the gleam of amusement and twitch of her lips telling him just how sorry she was.

"Yeah," he snorted, "I can see how sorry you are. Are you ready to get out of here?" he asked softly, knowing they had stalled long enough, watching her intently for any signs of distress.

"I'm scared, Booth," she whispered, chewing on her bottom lip.

"I know, baby," he acceded softly, dropping his forehead to rest against hers, "but you just have to remember that we love each other and we want to be together and that nothing can change that unless we let it." Holding her eyes, willing her to believe him, he relaxed when her eyes softened and she nodded.

"I accept your logic," she stated firmly, stiffening her spine and raising her head.

"That's my girl," Booth praised, dropping a quick kiss on her lips before taking a step back and holding a hand. Without hesitation, Brennan placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her toward the door, both of them knowing this relationship wasn't going to be easy, that they would face everything from minor spats to major issues. But they also knew that their lives simply weren't worth living without the presence of the other and each would do whatever it took to make the other happy.

"Ready," Booth asked quietly, pausing at the door and looking down at her, his chest swelling with pride when she looked back at him with determination and absolute conviction shining from her eyes.

"Ready," she answered firmly.

Booth opened the door and as one, they stepped through the doorway from their past into their future, a future that just like their past could be whatever they chose to make of it.


End file.
